Cutlery holder for silverware chests



pril 25, 1950 w. R. vERMlLLloN CUTLERY HOLDER FOR sILvERwAR cHEsTs Filed Aug. 9, 1948 Jiffy.

INVENTOR; W. R, Ver/n1 /I/'onj ATTORNEY,

Patented pr. 25, 1950 CUTLERY. HOLDER FOR CHESTS Thepresent invention relates to chests orcon'- tainersfor articles-such as cutlery or silverware or the like, and aims. to provide a novel supporting or holding` means for the cutlery' articles forming part ofi such cutlery sets or collections.

Accordingly a primary purpose of the invention isto` provide a chest or receptacle having a' movable cutlery rack or support which is adapted, in one of its positions, to permit ready removal or replacement` offthe cutlery pieces, and in` another positionof said rack or support to prevent any such removal of the cutlery articles and also to prevent anycasual displacement' of the rack or support from the latterv position.

For accomplishing this purpose, I provide a chest` or receptacle having a hinged cover or lid in whichis accommodated4 the movable rackorsupport, which isadapted to be collapsed within' the cover for retaining the cutlery articles in stored` position, andheld in such collapsedl condition against any casual displacement regardless of4 the open or closed relation of the cover;`

Whereas on opening of the cover the rack may be released and shiftedslightly outwardly into' position forY permitting removal or' replacement oilthe cutlery articles` In this connection it is also an object ofthe" inventiontoprovide a construction of the char'- acter described in which the cutlery articles themselves cooperate withthelid' or cover" and holding rack or supportin preventing any casual out the, desired objects of thev invention, and of" such form as to be readily and economically con-r structed, and likewise easily and conveniently operated..

With the foregoing general objects in view, as well as minor objects as will appear in the course of the detail specication, the invention will now be described by reference to the accompanying drawing illustrating one form of construction which I have devised and found to be both practical and efficient, after which those features and combinations deemed to be novel and patentable will be particularly set forth` and claimed. A

In the drawing:

Figure 1` is a perspective view showingariopen cutleryreceptacle such as a-silverware chesthaving its lid or cover equipped with a rack or holder structure embodying the present invention;

Figure12 is a sectional View, on a larger scale endl'representing. a section taken on the `line 2-2 of Figure 1, for showing one of the guide slots provided in the lid or cover member for cooperating with said rack or holder structure;

Figure 3 is a similar sectional view; representinga section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1, and showing the rack or holder structure in its inwardly lcollapsed condition;

Figure 4 isa similarsectional view represent-A ingsaidrack or'holder'structure in released and outwardly extending" position to permit manipulationof the cutlery articles, as indicated bythe dotted lines' insaid view; and

Figure 5` is a detail sectional view representinga' section taken on the section line 5 5 of? Figure 3;

Referring.' now to the accompanying drawing in detail,` the improved construction is illustrated as arranged in: interior relation to a cutlery` rehceptacle such asa silverware chest o'r container, comprising a main section Ill andalso a lid or coversection I2 comiectedv by hinges I4 to theV upper rear 'margin' of then/lain" section I, which` latter isprovidedwiththe usual partition harv lli' formed with vertical slots or recesses' i8 for re ceiving` the forks, spoons, etc. designed to beA placed in the container'.

For supporting the remaining pieces of theset of cutlery to ben placed in the container, such asknives 20, a rack frameor folder is provided, which is movaloiy supported inside' the lid or cover member' I2.' This rack frame or holder is of rectangular shape and comprises an upper bar 22 and a" lower bar 24 which are connected at theirends'by' means of a pair of spacing rods' 26 whereby'said barsare-'held in spaced and par` alle] relation and with some provision for slightV upwardand downward movement of the frame within said covermernber;

The upper and lower ends of said rack frame are provided, atA each corner thereof, with outwardly projecting pins 2S for engagement with* guide slots 3U formed in t-he opposite sides of the coverfmember I2' As' clearlyillust'rated in Figure 2, the lower en'd of 'each of the slots 310 (adjacent to the hinged margin of the cover)` is formed" with a bypass 3i communicating with a drop extension of the slot passage, as" indicated at 32, and adapted to permit an outward swing-- ing of the lower portion ofthe rack frame and also' a lowering of thejsame' from the position shownin Figuresv l an`d'3 into the position illustrate'd inFigure'e o'f thedrawing", for a purpose presentlyto be described A The upperbar 22' ofthe raclrframeis provided with` openings Sli for the passage of the upperends of the knives 2U, the lower ends of which are adapted tobe received in socketsor pocket' form of recesses SS'provided in the lower bar member 24- in vertical alinement'withsaid openingsli ofthe upper.` bar-as shown in' Figuresl and 3', the arrangement beingV such that the knives may be inserted upwardly through the openings 34 and then dropped for inserting the asoasio lower ends of the knives into said sockets or pockets 3S. For either inserting or removing the knives, the rack frame is swung outwardly and dropped into the position illustrated in Figure 4, the lower pins 23 passing through the bypasses 3l and thence into the drop extensions 32 for permitting lowering of the rack frame into the 1 position shown in Figure 4. In this position of said frame, the knives may be lifted to disengage their lower ends from the sockets 3S and then removed by withdrawal of their upper ends from the openings tilas represented by the dotted lines in Figure 4.

The operation of inserting the knives into the supported position illustrated in Figures 1 and 3 is carried out in just the reverse manner, after which the rack frame is swung back into the cover member and dropped for. engagement of the lower pins 2S with the lower ends of the vertical slots In this position the upper ends of the knives are designed to act as stops adapted to engage the adjacent inner face of the cover member and thereby limit any casual movement of the rack frame which would tend to permit outward swinging movement o1" the lower pins 28 through the bypass openings 3l and into the drop extensions 32. Obviously the guide slots 30 can be extended downwardly or shortened for accommodating whatever length of knives are to be mounted in the rack frame; and it is'moreover pointed out that'the design of the lower ends of said slots it includes a slight forward swell or enlargement Se adapted to seat the pins 28 as the rack frame settles into parallel relation with the adjacent main portion of the cover member, as represented in Figure 2. This construction incidentally provides a hump portion or shoulder' at the mouth of each bypass 3| adapted to counteract any such casual movement of the lower pins 2s as would be sufficient to allow the same to move into said bypass openings and hence permit outward swinging movement of the rack frame into the position illustrated in Figure 4.

it will therefore be apparent that when the knife pieces have been duly assembled in the rack frame and the latter collapsed into the cover member in the relation .illustrated in Figures A1 and 3, the cover member may be closed with re,

lation to the main body or storage section IEB, and subjected to any ordinary handling without elihood of the articles supported by the becoming disengaged from their supported position.

For fee'litating the insertion of the rack frame into proper operative position within the cover member or the complete removal of the same from the cover member, when necessary, the drop extension passages t2 may be provided with outlet openings at their upper ends (or above the bypass connections 3l), as clearly shown in Figures 2 and 3, thus allowing the pins 28 to be completely disengaged from the lid or cover member.

Moreover, as afeature for insuring against any possibility of the rack frame shifting materially out of the position illustrated in Figures 1 and 3, i prefer to provide a small and simple latohing device such as a button element 52, in one corner oi' the lid or cover member l2, being friotionally mounted on a pin or screw M so as to be turned either inwardly across the upper end of the acent slot 3d 01 outwardly into the position shown in Figures 2 and 4, that is, entirely out of the path of the rack frames movement. Thus in its inner or latching position (as represented in Figure 3) said button element 42 is directly in the path of movement of said rack frame so as to positively prevent any movement thereof sufficient to allow the lower pins 28 to come up opposite the bypass openings 3| regardless of the position of the lid or cover member; but turning @of the button 42 outwardly into the position shown in Figures 2 and 4 will then allow the deliberate movement of the rack member for the release and further manipulation of the sameas has been above described.

It will thus be seen that a practical and eilicient as well as economical construction has been devised for fulfilling all the desired objects of the invention as aforesaid; and while I have illustrated and described what I now regard as the preferred form of embodiment of the proposed improvements, I nevertheless desire to be understood as expressly reserving the right to make whatever changes or modications may fairly be deemed to fall within the spirit and scope of my invention as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A receptacle for cutlery and the like comprising, a main storage section, a lid or cover member hingedly connected with said main storage section, and having the opposite sides thereof formed with interior guiding slots, a rack member for supporting a plurality of cutlery articles and provided with pins for engagement with said guide slots, the lower ends of said` guide slots having outer drop extensions for per-A mitting a lowering of said rack member and also an outward shifting of the lower portion thereofv away from the interior of the cover member.

2. A receptacle for cutlery and the like comprising, a main storage section, a lid or cover` member hingedly connected with said main storage section and having the opposite sides thereof formed .with interior guide slots extending parallel with the main interior face of said cover member, a rack member for supporting a set of cutlery articles and provided with upper and lower guide pins for engagement with said guide slots and the lower ends of said slots being adapted to set the lower pins of the rack member with the latter substantially parallel with said interior' face of the cover member, said lower ends of the slots being also formed with shoulders adapted to prevent casual upward movement of the pins and also having outer drop extensions for per; mitting a lowering of the rack member and an outward shifting of the lower portion thereof away from the interior of the cover member.

WILLlAM R. VERMILLION.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le oi this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain Feb. 11, 1935 

